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One of Only Two Hospitals in California to receive HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award five consecutive years at the top 5% distinction level

Pomona, CA (PRWEB)May 31, 2012

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) has been named a recipient of the HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the fifth consecutive year by HealthGrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital. PVHMC is one of only two hospitals in California to be ranked at the 5% distinction level for Patient Experience for five consecutive years, based on an analysis of patient satisfaction data from 3,837 U.S. hospitals.

According to HealthGrades, 80% of patients treated at the nation’s best-performing hospitals would definitely recommend the hospital compared to only 53% of patients who received care from the poorest-performing hospitals.

“Exceptional patient experience is at the core of our culture,” states Richard E. Yochum, PVHMC’s President/CEO. “The fact that our patients recommend us to their family and friends is the highest recognition possible. We are honored to care for this community and are dedicated to providing the highest quality patient experience and outcomes.”

To designate its 2012 Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipients, HealthGrades analyzed HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) hospital survey data obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), from April 2010 to March 2011. HealthGrades identified 332 hospitals performing in the top 10% in the nation for patient satisfaction, based on survey responses from patients treated at those facilities. Of the 332 hospitals, only 166 performed in the top 5% category, including PVHMC. Hospitals were required to meet bed size, survey-response size, and clinical-quality thresholds in order to be eligible for the award. Information on award recipients and the ratings methodology is available, free to the public, at HealthGrades.com.

“This year HealthGrades paid particular attention to the impact that patient-provider communication has on patient experience. For example, we found that 27% more patients of the top-performing hospitals reported staff always explained their medications before administering them, compared to hospitals in the bottom 10%,” said Kristin Reed, MPH, HealthGrades Vice President of hospital quality programs and author of the study. “Communication is clearly an important factor for patient satisfaction, but it can also be critical to ensuring positive outcomes. We commend hospitals like Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for setting the standard for outstanding patient experience.”

When compared to hospitals performing in the bottom 10% for patient satisfaction, HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipient hospitals are attributed with the following:

50% more patients gave the hospital an overall rating of a 9 or a 10 (10 being the highest possible)

38% more patients responded that they always received help from staff quickly

23% more patients reported their nurses always communicated well

21% more patients felt their pain was always well controlled

14% more patients reported their doctors always communicated well

About Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) is a 453-bed, acute care, nationally accredited hospital serving the greater Pomona Valley. It is one of only 332 hospitals in the country to be named a recipient of the HealthGrades 2012 Outstanding Patient Experience Award. PVHMC has also been recognized nationally as a 2011 Thompson Reuters 50 Top Cardio Vascular Hospital. For more information please visit our web site at http://www.pvhmc.org.